Curbs And Parking Barriers: How They Hurt Your Car
Everyone does it: You turn too sharply or forget that a particular parking lot has barriers instead of just painted lines. Your car shakes, and you hear a grinding noise. Most people simply grimace and write off the experience as carelessness. However, a simple curb bump can cause more damage than you might think. When you miscalculate in this way, you need to check for damage and also learn prevention techniques.
Damage
Hitting a curb can harm your tires, even when you hit it at five miles per hour. When you do bump over a curb, you need to examine your tires for any roughed up spots or any unusual lumps. Surprisingly, after only two hundred miles of driving, your tire can show excessive wear and tear due to hitting the curb. Bad tires affect your car's driving performance and fuel economy. If you suspect damage, you should take your car to the mechanic to be checked. Sliding into a curb is a common problem in the wintertime that can kill your rims, your suspension, and your bearings. In fact, you can also mess up your tire rods. Curbs and parking barriers may look harmless, but they are just lying in wait for you to make a mistake.
Prevention
One way to prevent running over parking lot barriers is to attach a check mark sticker to the driver's side window. When you return to your car, it will remind you to check for any barrier around your car and simply remind you that you have to back out and not pull forward. To avoid hitting the curb when you turn, you need to approach the turn staying about three feet from the curbside. Do not begin steering until your front wheels are even with the beginning of the curb "curve." If you are too close to the curb or begin turning too early, you will hit or run over the concrete. You simply have to consciously run through the steps of a correct turn.
Avoiding a curb may sound easy, but you undoubtedly see and hear people run over them frequently. Unless you are a perfect driver, you have done the same thing, perhaps more often than you want to acknowledge. If you are a curb-hitter, you need to admit that you have a problem and then take action to correct it. Your car will thank you, and you will see your mechanic less often.
For more information, contact companies like Newton Tire Company.
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